Harvesting rainwater

 

We have the pumping system installed for the irrigation system.  The solar panel is mounted on the roof of the greenhouse.  It charges a 12 volt battery which powers a small 1/12 hp direct current pump.  I have installed a hose bib (technical term for a garden faucet) on the outside of the greenhouse, and a pipe for a future underground supply system. 

 

In my last post, I glibly suggested that we would install broadcast irrigation heads without regard to water conservation measures, but it has not rained for over two weeks.  Even though we have readily available well water, I may rethink that strategy.  It is not an urgent priority, but I hope to have the underground sprinkler system in before the end of the summer.

I ran the pump with the sprinkler on full blast for one hour and the tank went down 6”.  That is enough to provide us with nine hours of irrigation.  It takes 1/2” of rain to fill the tank, which we normally get on a regular basis. 

The hose leading from the tank (suction header) has a stainless steel grille on the end to keep it from reaching the bottom of the tank when the water level is low.  It would also keep out large debris, but the design of the system should not let any large debris into it.  I have attached a milk bottle as a float so that the end of the suction header is submerged just below the surface of the water.  This will provide the cleanest source of water to the system. 

 

 

We installed a fence around the perimeter of the garden, and promptly captured a turtle.  It left turtle-belly tracks all around the inside of the fence before it found its way out under the gate.  Now we need to plug that little gap, and we should be relatively critter proof.  That still leaves it open to the deer and raccoons, but at least we are narrowing down the field. 

Our lawn appears to be the perfect spot for turtles to nest.  We area about 500 yards from the river, and the soil conditions seem to be exactly what any good mama turtle wants to lay her eggs in.  We have observed two Painted turtles deposit their clutch within 40 feet of the house.  A couple of days later we woke to piles of dirt all over the yard as some scavenger tried digging them up.  We only saw a little evidence that they had found any, so there is hope for a crop of turtles yet.  Judy has marked the gestation period on the calendar, and I will reposition the construction camera to become a turtlecam.

 
Next week a couple of carpenters will be helping me get started on the cedar shingle installation.  There won’t be anything posted next week, but should have plenty the following.